For The Deranged & Divine
by dotRHEA
Summary: A few days before the Grand Magic Games, she received a letter begging to change one Rogue Cheney's life. Rogue/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: CHAPTER ONE AND TWO HAVE BEEN REWRITTEN AS OF JULY 10 2013.**

Remember when I said this was going to be around 6-7 chapters? I lied, there will more than likely be about ten.

* * *

_The week before the start of the Grand Magic Games, I received a letter._

_Who sent it?_

_And why was it sent?_

* * *

The last morning of June brought forth an item that would forever change the course of her life.

Amongst the sound of shivering leaves and excited chatter came a simple yellowed letter. Crumpled and wrinkled, it flew unnoticed as it rode the winds to arrive through the open windows of one Lamia Scale mage.

The girl, who was no older than twenty years of age, was fast asleep. Her curly black hair littered askew across pillows and blankets and the tired limbs of the guild mates sleeping beside her.

To say that she and the other Lamia Scale mages had immediately crashed upon arriving at their hotel room was one thing. To actually _see _it was another.

Limp bodies were all scattered across the floor, no one had actually succeeded in closing the door and thus it was left wide open for the other guests and more ready members to behold and chuckle at the sight.

Waking up, the girl was glad she was one of the few who actually managed to grab a hold of a pillow before collapsing onto the ground. Even if she was still a bit sore.

At least she didn't wake up three ways to uncomfortable.

With a groan and a not-so-accidental elbow to Toby's doggish face, the girl shot up from her place on the ground. Groggily rubbing her eyes and scrapping the crust out. A loud yawn had escaped her lips before she finally noticed the age worn letter sitting innocently on top of Chelia's sleeping face.

Carefully, the black-haired girl lifted the small letter off of the sleeping sky god slayer and felt a brow raise in surprise when she caught sight of the elegant script decorating the back of the letter.

_Collier, May_

It was moments like now that she remembered that her mother actually did name her. She wasn't even ashamed to admit that the first thought that went through her head upon reading the handwriting was who this May Collier person was.

Well actually, she was ashamed. Extremely ashamed. But no one had to know that.

When the realization that the letter was addressed to her finally sunk in, she felt her heart start to race. May stared at the small envelope with eyes filled with a dangerous concoction of curiosity and wonder and a tiny bit of fear; her small hands already working to lift the fold off and see what kind of message was waiting for her inside.

Just when she finally ripped a gap big enough for her fingers to slip the letter inside out, the floor began to rumble under a pair of furious sounding feet.

Without even thinking about it, May quickly stuffed the letter into her shirt just as Ooba Babasaama came stomping into the room. Her loud approach immediately woke everyone around the girl up. If it wasn't that then it was how the air grew more and more coated with the promises of violence that even the dead swallowed nervously as Ooba drew closer and closer to the previously sleeping groupie.

May knew by the look on her guild master's face that today was not going to be a good day.

* * *

It was a wonder how she even managed to slip past Ooba alive.

She knew Jura had caught her sliding out the window. It was a blessing that the only thing he did when she caught him looking was chuckle.

If Lyon had caught her...

May shivered involuntarily at the thought. The silver-haired ice-make mage would have definitely sent her to her grave. There was no escaping Lyon's reign of terror unless you were one of his cronies.

In retrospect, she shouldn't have thought of him that way but lately she felt like he was just waiting for a chance to get back at her for the prank she pulled last week.

Sticking Ooba on her was probably the perfect revenge; but there was no way in all the heavens above that she would let that happen.

May let out a loud sigh and stretched out her legs, throwing her hands up in the air as she prepared to get up from the bench. The action resulted in a small paper cut from the letter still tucked in her shirt.

Right. She forgot about that.

Lady Luck must have been shining down on her as she quickly undid her bow and grabbed the letter out from her blouse. Happy that there wasn't anyone in the park to chance a glimpse upon her as she all but stripped in public. Her face was as red as a tomato as she fixed herself quickly after taking the letter out.

'_Hey there, the me who's still in Lamia Scale. I hope you're doing well when this letter gets to you. '_

That was a strange way to start a letter; May couldn't help but to think to herself. Her days in Lamia Scale were all filled with pure terror and camaraderie. As strange as it was, she wouldn't give that up for the world.

She loved it too much- whether it was her guild mates, or the guild hall, or her guild master's odd quirks, she loved it all with every last bit of her golden heart.

The mage wasn't even going to start on how this person was supposedly her.

'-_ I am writing from seven years in the future to ask something very important of you. I hope you won't make the same mistakes as I did. In this letter, I will write up to the events that will unfold now to after the Grand Magic Games ... and whatever happens, I just hope you will choose the right path._ '

Okay, so maybe May was a bit weirded out by how this person claimed to be her from seven years in the future. There was no way that could be true, right?

It was one thing for the missing members of Fairy Tail to return unchanged and unaged after years of being MIA but they were _Fairy Tail_. They were an exception among exceptions. Inspirational was one word that she thought of when she remembered their former reign. There was never a day when the former great guild didn't find itself in trouble when it was still active. If Fairy Tail wasn't looking for trouble then more times than ever, it was probably just one Natsu Dragneel who was.

May, on the second hand... May?

May was a nobody.

Just a normal Lamia Scale mage who managed to escape the wrath of Ooba Babasaama once again.

_'June 30._

_- in the morning, because Ooba didn't get her morning tea on time, she aimed her grumpiness at you and the others. Jura and Lyon saw you escape out the window. '  
_  
So, maybe she wasn't as sneaky as she thought she was.

The small part of her brain was still telling her how the letter was sent as a prank when her eyes focused on that last part- Lyon saw her?!

Oh dear, she was going to die when she returned to the inn later.

_'- while sitting on the park bench, you meet Frosch and by extension Rogue Cheney'  
_  
No.

There was no way...

A crying ball of pink and green came at her like a soccer ball then, catching her by surprise as the bench tipped backwards from the impact. A startled scream came out from her lips as she shoved the letter away into her pocket. Not knowing what to do, she awkwardly started patting the crying ball as it curled itself up into her blouse.

If she was paying attention, she would have noticed how the shadows had started swaying to and fro as another voice called from the distance.

If she was even thinking straight, she would have noticed that her blouse and vest was now getting stained with snot.

If she really thought her thoughts counted for anything, she would've thought that this was going to be a horribly long day.

If she had an extra head, she probably could have noticed how a line from the letter could still be seen from its place in her pocket...

A simple line to an innocent letter that read:

_*please change Rogue Cheney's life_

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review?


	2. Chapter 2

_No way._

_This can't be right._

_This has to be a coincidence!_

* * *

May was on the verge of freaking out.

Not soon after the ball attacked her, Rogue Cheney came looming over her like some sort of ghostly apparition. She knew- or had a sense that words were currently flying out from his mouth but his eyes kept darting from the cat-like thing to her face in a rather distracting manner. May was pretty sure that if it wasn't for the crying pink green ball, she would've been three ways to Sunday by now.

Nonetheless, she swallowed nervously as she tried not to look up at the shadow dragon slayer. Awkwardly comforting the ball as it sobbed and whimpered and cried.

Whether Rogue was talking to her or the cat, she would never know. The tense atmosphere hanging in the air around them had all but drowned out his words.

Her fingers shook fearfully as her mind aimlessly tried to make sense of what was happening to her right now. The letter was still tucked into her pocket; its presence not comforting her any more than she was comforting the cat. With an abrupt, fear filled thought, May realized she had to relax before Rogue decided she was a threat.

Deep breaths, she chanted to herself and air blew out her nose quietly under Rogue's intense glare. Deep breaths.

The lump developing in her throat was just about gone when the cat finally stopped crying and fell asleep under her dainty fingers.

May let a small smile cross her face. For all the randomness and stress these last few minutes incurred, the cat's adorableness certainly made her day.

She soon found herself unconsciously petting its head with a small look of glee when a voice finally spoke up.

"Thank you."

May's head snapped up, finally remembering that she wasn't alone as she stared up at the Sabertooth mage's face.

She had to ball her fist and bask in the pain shooting through her hand to keep from jumping in surprise.

The Rogue Cheney she constantly heard about was a terror. One of the strongest mages in Fiore's strongest guild. A man of nightmares, they called him, wrapped in shadows and eyes so red it was said to be colored by the blood of his enemies ...

May wasn't stupid enough to believe the last part though. She knew that somewhere along the way, Rogue turned into a household name used to scare naughty kids into behaving.

The man standing before her? He was intimidating, yes. Above so. But staring at him now made her realize that a name could only hold so much power over how you saw someone than actually meeting them and judging them for yourself.

"No problem ..." She muttered back, looking away and staring at the tree behind his head.

The man looked so tired. So wary. So _dead_.

So unlike the Rogue Cheney everyone liked to go gossip about, spreading tales of nightly terrors and lore.

"Frosch," his voice almost croaked when she looked back at him. His eyes- or just the one that was visible, was filled with a strangeness that she couldn't exactly but a name to. His gaze was still sharp but after Frosch fell asleep, it seemed like his demeanor mellowed down. If not by a little bit.

If only her eyes had darted a bit to the left instead during those few tense seconds; then she probably would've noticed how the shadows shifted almost angrily beneath their feet. Seemingly darker than the rest of the shadows under the trees.

"Frosch wouldnt stop crying ..."

"Uh... I dont mind, you dont need to worry. It really was no-" she almost choked on her spit when he gave her an even stranger look, "biggy"

It almost sort of looked like Rogue's face was cracking or something. Shadows kept flickering over his face, completely masking his left side under the shade. The air had changed a bit too, as if there was something hanging in the air just dying for her to pick up.

She had a bad feeling. She knew she had a bad feeling. But what shocked her the most was when she caught the side of his lip twitching only the slightest bit upwards. Like he was trying not to smile.

And the sight itself was enough to completely derail her off her suspicions.

If Rogue caught on to the sound of her heart racing during that tense silence, then he didn't say a word or do a thing to show it.

A loud sound rang through the air then, piercing the silence and shocking her so much she dropped her gaze to look for whatever made the sound. It almost sounded like a bell but the chime was a note too sharp for any beautifully written comparison.

"What was-" A large gust of wind cut her off then. Whipping her black curls viciously out from behind her as a small squeak escaped from her lips. She turned towards Rogue when it finally died down and felt her heart drop when she saw a flicker out the corner of her eye.

She swore she saw someone turning away, strands of white hair flying out from behind him and a piercing stare so sharp it could have cut glass.

Five seconds was all the time she had to react before she felt a weight being lifted off her lap and for one more gust of wind to come at her.

She didn't remember what had happened next but she knew she remembered someone calling out her name.

Like they were crying.

A lone cry of anguish, a note that struck the heavens and pierced her heart.

A sob so distant that it echoed off invisible walls only to rebound in vain.

May could've sworn she heard Rogue cry out her name before she blacked out.

* * *

_' June 30._

_- in the morning, because Ooba didn't get her morning tea on time, she aimed her grumpiness at you and the others. Jura and Lyon saw you escape out the window. _

_- while sitting on the park bench, you meet Frosch and by extension Rogue Cheney_

_- Fro wouldn't stop crying. I wish I knew why but Rogue scared me enough to keep my- your mind from wandering too far._

_- he said thank you.'_

The Lamia Scale mage let out a small stressed out sigh before throwing herself onto her bed, letters crumbled up in her hand. Anxiety had been eating away at her ever since she woke up at her hotel room with no memory of coming back. She only remembered flickers of what happened at the park but that was it.

The urge to just sit and cry was almost too great for her as she read the letter again, fear crawling up her veins with every point that struck true. May really didn't know what to do- there was no way this was a prank. No one could ever pay the shadow dragon slayer enough jewels to participate in something so immature, even she knew that. And she knew that time magic actually did exist but the users were little to none.

Which wasn't exactly saying much anyways since Arc of Time was a lost magic.

_* please change Rogue Cheney's life_

Her eyes narrowed when those words took a hold of her attention for a third time.

May wasn't heartless. If it was anyone else, and if it wasn't with such weird prompting then she would've done it right away.

But she just met the guy and he was _Sabertooth_. They were far too different and even if they themselves weren't, then their guilds were. She knew Sabertooth; had heard of their suffocating expectations and crushing order. And even if Lamia Scale was no Fairy Tail, she knew that no one would put up with it if anything did start between them.

She swallowed down the thoughts nervously and threw the aged papers onto her bed, groaning into her hands as she curled up into a pillow.

She was scared. Way too scared.

She really did want to help.

But the letter?

All this pressure and questions were finally beginning to get to her.

The moon was full, taking up the night sky outside her window. Small birds flew to and fro as she stared at the stars with a tired groan and a lazy flick of her wrist. Not caring if her magic made the letters rearrange themselves in the wrong order.

She fell asleep that night with one question on her mind...

Where was this all going to take her?

* * *

**A/N : **Sorry if it's a little too rushed and too short, I'm still trying to develop the plot and stuff... heheh

Review?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Congratz to_ Nya Sol_ for guessing it right even after I accidentally erased the hints when I rewrote the chapters. Hahah my bad.

Yes, so for the rest of you... This fic was inspired by the manga 'Orange' by Takano Ichigo. But even though there will be a lot of similarities, I will try to stay as canon as possible and stray away from the direction Orange was taking before it was put on hiatus. I hope I haven't lost too many readers at this point.

* * *

'_July 2, _

_- day two of the Grand Magic Games_

_- after Toby's match, Lyon and Chelia planned a joint party to try and cheer him up_

_* I really regret staying for the whole thing. I hope this time, when the chance strikes, you'll take it_'

* * *

May wasn't exactly sure how long its been since Lyon and Chelia dragged her out to their impromptu party of sorts.

Really, she wasn't even sure if you could even consider it a party- somehow during their time in the restaurant, they had all retreated from sitting at the tables to lazily sprawled out in a circle on the ground. Their tables long abandoned and their food and dishes all scattered neatly beside their owners.

It was a wonder how the restaurant staff even tolerated their antics.

Heck- it was a _miracle _how Ooba Babasaama hadn't come busting through a window yet.

Lord, have mercy on them all when she does.

The whole situation was so awkward that she found it hilarious, just thinking about how they all ended up in the most undignified position ever was enough to put a smile on her face. And she loved it.

Lyon was grinning more than usual, a grin that actually made him look more youthful as he halfheartedly tried to keep Toby from dripping snot all over him. Even from her spot, which was pretty far away, she could still hear the dogman's whimper of appreciation.

Yuka was probably thanking Chelia for the cake, she thought to herself as she bit into her own slice. How the godslayer succeeded in getting someone bake a chariot shaped into the number four on such short notice was beyond her. She didn't even want to know how the cake ended up tasting like sweet heaven on top of that.

Hilarious as it may be, May still couldn't bring herself to laugh. For all the light togetherness their little get-together seemed to incite, she still couldn't help but suffocate under the small hints of anxiety and anticipation wavering off of everyone.

The same anxiety and anticipation that coursed through her veins when she remembered the yellowed letter was folded up in her pocket.

"Ahh, it's a Sabertooth mage," May could have given herself whiplash with the way she snapped her head up the moment those words escaped through Shelly's drunken murmurs.

The black-haired girl could only stare in vain as she watched the shadow dragon slayer trail his eyes over the floored party, crimson eyes wandering longer to meet with hers before a waiter finally came and took his attention away. She could practically hear her heart pounding in her head as the door rang open again and a flying cat came following in after Rogue.

'_I hope this time, when the chance strikes, you'll take it_'

This couldn't be the chance the letter was talking about, right?

The words flew in over her head like racing doves, crashing into each other in destructive collisions and half-hearted steer-aways from glass windows.

Even now, she still doubted the letter.

"Ahh! So cruel!" She could barely manage a cry before the pink-haired doll mage shoved her aside, saving her from Toby's whimpering wrath as he pounced into the spot that she last occupied. "When did you become such a horrible person, May- ooon ?!"

Bewildered was one way of describing the look she gave the doglike man. Complete utter confusion was the other.

"Toby, I have no idea-" she wasn't even given the chance to finish her sentence before he attacked her again, "TOBY!"

"Why would you wear a black turtleneck, May! I thought we were friends!"

"One more time, Horhorta and I swear to-"

"You traitor!"

Another muted scream quickly left her lips as she jumped to her feet, waltzing out of the way as Toby got his claws stuck into a table leg. The urge to give out a loud sigh at the Paralysis Powder user was almost too strong. It was ridiculous, sometimes even looking at the poor thing incited a headache.

A light round of chuckles erupted from all around her then; her ears catching a light comment or two from the restaurant crowd as everyone turned back to their meals. May could feel her whole face light up with embarrassment.

People saw that.

_People _saw _and _heard that.

The black-haired girl could feel her heart pounding in her head, her face getting brighter and brighter the more the fact sunk in. At one point, Chelia came up to her and placed a hand onto her shoulder. Whether she was trying to comfort her or make a joke, May wouldn't have heard it anyways.

Instead all she heard was a drowning buzz.

Of course she knew this was going to happen, today's letter had mentioned something about Toby mistaking her for a female Kurohebi. But she had shaken it off as a joke then, and really she should have just did that now.

Toby was an idiot. A major class A idiot. And she knew he didn't mean it.

He was an emotional disaster after all.

Toby was one of those people you could never take seriously, she knew that.

She did. She really did.

"I... I need to go," the words barely made it out of her mouth before she went sprinting out of the restaurant, a hand held up to her chest as she took in huge gulps of air.

She didn't know where she was going, all she wanted to do was run, run, run.

And run she did. She ran as far as her stubby little legs could take her before they gave up altogether. Sending her down onto her knees on an abandoned street corner riddled with squashed flowers and broken streetlights. The only sound heard in this empty corner of Crocus was her desperate pants for air and the occasional grind of gravel as she tried hard to ease the pain she felt boiling up in her chest.

May felt like her lungs had collapsed. Every second that ticked by felt like an hour without oxygen. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes as she struggled to remember what her breathing exercises were.

She hadn't even realize she was crying when the sky had dimmed all around her, shadows creeping to and fro as hands tugged her backwards and guided her own to rest on her chest and below her rib cage. The pain was too excruciating to let her attention wander somewhere else, the tears were already streaming down her cheeks as her head pounded like a drum against her skull.

So heavy. So heavy.

Was it raining?

_Shhh. Shhh. May. _

Whatever it was, it seemed to whisper to her in a gentle almost loving tone. Embracing her with a rush of pure nothingness as the ends of her hair tingled.

_Breathe in through your nose. _

The pain in her chest was beginning to subside, as the voice in the rain whispered all around her. Surrounding her in its coolness and encompassing her in a warm darkness.

_Yes, that's it. _

She had to close her eyes when a sudden jolt rushed through her system, a small whimper escaping through her lips as the rain hushed her once again. She almost felt something under her head shift with the dying pain in her chest.

_Shh. Shhh. Out your lips now. And again..._

_That's a good girl_.

"Hey..." The familiar voice broke the girl out of her feverish reverie. Bringing her into a split second realization that the pain had subsided and her lungs opened up. When the shock wore away, she quickly found herself staring back into the round eyes of one pink frog cat. "Hey_... _Are you ok?"

May could only stare in disbelief as the Exceed flew above her head worryingly; checking for her temperature and occasionally prodding her gently. She could almost feel her eyes water up all over again for the sweetness Frosch was giving her when she realized the Exceed was still waiting for her answer.

"Yeah. I'm fine," the response immediately left a bitter taste in her mouth the moment she said it. Like bad tea, it left her with an unpleasant aftertaste. Yet it came to her so easily that she was still able to swallow it down all the same. As it should.

These attacks were going on for years now, as if she was going to let it worry anymore people than it should.

Her heart almost dropped when she saw that the Exceed's eyes were about to water up at her words. May wanted oh so desperately to reach out to the cat but when she noticed that Frosch was flying quite a ways away and she couldn't walk up to it, she froze.

Her feet wasn't even touching the ground.

_She _wasn't even touching the ground.

May must have looked short of terrified when she suddenly felt someone shifting her around. She braced herself for the worst when she felt a pair of arms gently set her down onto the cold pavement before a voice called out from the shadows that she was still unwilling to look up at.

"You can't keep suppressing your pain," the Lamia Scale mage had to clench her fists to keep from looking up at the owner or at Fro for help.

"If it's going to cause the people next to me any trouble, then I'd rather suffer on my own." She grumbled honestly, playing with her fingers shyly. "It's always like this. No one came for me anyways."

The words were all muttered and jumbled up, her eyes still trained on the space between their feet as she stared at the space between their solitary shadows. She wasn't going to be surprised if Rogue asked her to repeat what she had just said again.

It was embarrassing enough, she wasn't even sure why she was confiding in a mage of a rival guild for this.

A frown had made its way onto May's face and she was just about to walk away when Rogue said the one wrong thing she wasn't expecting to hear.

"I saw it though," he croaked and May still refused to look up. Refused to let him see the shocked look on her face, how her cheeks were colored red as the words tumbled out through his velvety voice, "and I came."

The girl wanted to cry. She really did.

Rogue really had no idea what he was saying. May didn't even care if his words were meant to mean anything to her.

She was just glad to hear it.

"M-May," she blurted out after a long pregnant pause, "My name is May Collier. And um thanks."

"Rogue Cheney," the girl looked up then. Staring with an unflinching gaze into the taller man's crimson eyes as they darted towards his cat, "and this is Frosch. I should be the one thanking you though."

"Mmm?"

"For taking care of Frosch, I saw it." A thicker blush made its way onto her cheeks then. He saw that? Oh dear, that was embarrassing. May remembered being at a lost for what to do during that encounter.

She started playing with her thumbs again, shivering under the cool evening breeze but still refusing to let her gaze wander from the shadow dragon slayer. And as nonchalant as he may seem, it looked like to her Rogue was refusing to let his gaze wander too. Yet ever so often, she'd see glimpses of gazes cast from his oblivious cat to her.

They stood there stoic for a few more minutes before Fro let out a small yawn. Rogue seemed to react immediately and gave her a small nod, taking the cat into his arms before preparing to walk away.

It was then that she realized what the letter had wanted her to do.

"Rogue too!" She called out with a surprising amount of urgency, "I-if you ever feel pained or anything, d-don't suppress it!"

The shadow dragon slayer stopped dead in his tracks, turning his head slightly so she could catch a glimpse of a surprised eye midst bellowing strands of black hair. She felt her cheeks heat up as she began to panic.

"Be... Because," It may have taken more tries than she was okay with to say it right properly but Rogue wasn't rushing her and just the look he gave her, the one that urged her for more gave her the courage to continue on, "because I am also looking out for you too!"

May could feel her breath hitch as Rogue made a sound akin to a chuckle.

"Shortly after you left, your guild master came into the restaurant." A smirk had crossed his face as he let out a small laugh, "you got out just in time."

"_Oh thank god,_" May could have deflated with relief right then and there, but seeing this side of the rumored mage had made her want to laugh. And laugh she did.

She laughed until small tears welled up in her eyes and until Rogue joined in with his own chuckles and crude humor.

She laughed and laughed and laughed and smiled when they decided it was finally time to part with promises to see each other again.

May was still smiling as another breeze danced by her exposed skin, sending unwelcoming shivers down her spine.

Halfheartedly, she wondered if the May seven years into the future was able to let go of her regret.

It wasn't until she returned back into her hotel room, weary from having to climb through another window and creep her way to bed that it really hit her.

_'Finally, I want to tell you the reason why I am writing this letter,_

_I don't want the me who is still Lamia Scale to walk away with a lifetime of regret._

_And most importantly,_

_I don't want for a world to not know the man that was Rogue Cheney._

_Seven years in the future,_

_Rogue will no longer be the same man you know._

_And in one year from your time,_

_he will lose the one thing he loves the most._

_Please don't let the important things go by so easily._

_And please look after Rogue closely.'_

* * *

As a side note, Rogue was carrying May in a way that her back was straight but her knees were bent. So I guess you could say he was holding her bridal style but please note that the breathing exercise shown in this chapter is one practiced by COPD and asthma patients. May does not have COPD or asthma but what she does have will become an important plot point in the future so yaaah...

How did I do? I hope it wasn't too shabby and rushed.

Review?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I literally did not know what to do with this chapter hahah

Also, May is the same age as Rogue. Yes. I don't know if I changed that in the previous chapters since the release of Rogue's character card but yeah... Honestly I had hoped he was older.

* * *

_'July 4,_

_- day four of the Grand Magic Games,_

_( the day Rogue fought against Gajeel Redfox )'_

* * *

Watching the navel battle was painful.

Especially for one May Collier- who winced and yelped every time a blow was dealt to the young Fairy Tail mage.

She could barely sit still as the giant lacrima visions displayed the epic battle going on inside the giant water bubble. She had heard plenty of rumors about the strongest guild's 'lady' but never did she expect that watching the woman in action would actually blow all her expectations to smithereens.

"You have your head in the clouds, Fairy Tail!" May could practically feel her fists turning white as her eyes stayed trained on the voluptuously deranged woman. Watching as the lacrima visions showed her figure tremble with each great bout of laughter and managing to somehow make every word that dared escape through her painted lips sound like acid honey, "what kind of heart do you think we have?!"

May could feel her heartbeat racing faster and faster as her words flew over the crowds and into her ears. With each and every mockery, the doubt inside the Lamia Scale mage grew bigger in size as she thought back to the letter.

She knew the words weren't meant for her but they still hit home. Too close to home.

After all, what kind of change can a girl like her do? She kept asking herself, she was just May Collier. A lucky girl who found her way into Fiore's second strongest guild without any hidden talents. Heck, her own magic wasn't even anything worth mentioning. Even at the guild, she was considered a wallflower. To change the life of someone so well-known and powerful as Rogue Cheney was just too much to ask of her.

She wasn't anyone amazing. And she definitely wasn't anyone like Minerva Orland.

"We're number one in the whole world," an almost suffocating atmosphere fell over the crowd as those words tumbled through the woman's mouth. Rending some people with a fresh rush of anxious anticipation and leaving others like May with a deadly racing heart,"We are Sabertooth!"

She could feel her finger nails dig further into her palms as she watched Lucy's body get warped back to Minerva. Listening as the blonde's screams blended into the frantic shouts from the audience as she continued to get tortured. May didn't even realize she was clutching her own chest in pain until a hand firmly grasped her shoulder.

"Breathe," he whispered into her ear, gripping her small shoulder in a not so comforting grip. "May, you need to breathe."

"_I am,_"were the only words that made it pass her mouth before the man standing next to her forcefully turned her attention away from the naval battle.

"May." Rogue's red eyes were narrowed into dangerous looking slits. His impassive frown was almost breaking into a full on scowl the more he listened to her racing heart struggle for more oxygen.

Ironically, it reminded May of the no-nonsense look parents often gave their children.

"Rogue, you're not like that." The dragon slayer's grip only tightened against her shoulder bone and she had to take in a huge gasp of air through her nose to keep from yelping. The pleased look that crossed his face was sorely missed however when the girl sputtered and started coughing violently. "You're not like them."

The man only ignored her and went about patting her back as he tried to step her through her breathing exercises.

She never expected to start her day off like this.

Truth be told, the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games wouldn't have started off this way had May not overslept.

She had only managed to read the first few lines of today's letter before Chelia dragged her out. She was so dazed, in fact, that she ended up wandering off when they reached Domus Flau and wound up sitting right next to the shadow dragon slayer, who was conveniently not sitting anywhere near his team mates.

Even now that she was wide awake, she was way too scared to ask why that is.

Beside her, Rogue wore a grave expression.

A solid frown was drawn onto his face as the girl slowly ceased coughing and the voices of his team mates declaring war against Fairy Tail reverberated throughout the whole arena.

"You don't know that," he muttered, his fists clenching together as his magic flared dangerously with each word.

"You... You're not going to join them?" She asked nervously, nudging her head towards his guild mates who were now surrounding Minerva.

They watched as the confrontation grew more tense in silence, completely unaware how their tempers were seeping into their own. May didn't know what empowered her to comment on his lack of presence with his team but she knew with each growing second that _this _was clearly none of her business.

"This wasn't the type of guild I wanted." Was the only reply she got before his voice dropped dangerously low and his magic threatened to explode like fireworks right beside her.

May could feel her heart beating faster once again at the sudden change in mood and cursed herself under her breath when she realized she was the cause of it.

She wasn't capable of changing anyone's life- much less his.

But the letter...

The girl watched as he balled his fists tighter, thickening the air around them until it was suffocatingly uncomfortable. Casting the smaller girl one last look before stalking off, travelling through the crowd of shocked fans as if it was nothing. No one tried to stop him.

The letter...

She kept thinking to herself as she watched him disappear.

The letter was sent to her to erase her regrets, right?

If that was the case then she'll do it.

She'll do this.

"Rogue," She called after him finally, her voice bordering on the edge of desperate as she got up. Dashing through the crowd and looked past heads while trying to find the glowering Sabertooth mage. "Rogue!"

But by then, he was but a bobbing head midst the waving swarm of civilians.

A dark head that neither twitched or stop at her loud cries.

But that didn't stop her from trying.

"Ro-!" Try as she might, it was inevitable that she would manage to trip herself and completely miss the dashing black shadow that danced around her ankles and completely lose sight of the mage all at once. Because that was what really did happen. She was May. She wasn't a hero.

Yet a heavy sigh still managed to escape.

May felt like she was being slowly ripped to pieces as she tried to recompose herself. Almost as if there was something tugging at her chest through a child's labyrinth. Like her chain- brittle and rusted, was in the hands of a deranged being out for her divinity.

Of course, she was never one to believe in the divinity within a person.

Nonetheless, in herself.

"In just four days, they've retaken their former glory!" All around her, people cheered wildly as the lacrima visions went from displaying the newly organized and confident Fairy Tail team to resting upon the ominous smirks of their new rivals.

It wasn't much to say that May had zeroed in on Rogue almost immediately, shivering under the piercing glare that was still placed on his face.

This Rogue was the Rogue she had heard about, the one foretold through rumors and hushed whispers. He was the Rogue that was wrapped in shadows and nightmares. His eyes glared through his image and almost glowing with its blood red color. This was the Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth.

The Rogue who walked away coldly.

But this wasn't the Rogue Cheney _she _wanted to save was it?

* * *

It was during the middle of the second tag team match when she thought she saw something dark dart past her face.

At first she didn't pay the flying dark thing much attention.

It was the second time however, that caught her off guard and led her to something life changing.

May had long joined the crowd awhile ago- passionately cheering on her team mates and yelling happily every time Yuka or Lyon managed to land a hit. She was jumping on her feet so much that she didn't realize blisters would form between the calluses of her feet until later that day.

It was during that fifth jump of joy did she catch sight of a moppy looking mob of black hair.

And in that instant, her instincts took over and she bolted like the wind.

Chasing after that mop of hair and screaming his name as he slipped past people like his own dark element.

The adrenaline pumping through her brain completely made her overlook the fact that the direction they were heading towards was completely drowned in shadows midst the afternoon's bright sunshine.

"Rogue?" She called out between desperate winded gasps, skillfully weaving past a clingy couple as the crowd gave another cheer, "stop. Look, I'm sorry!"

And much like before, the head didn't stop moving either. Nor did it twitch and show any hint that the man heard her.

Not until it stopped altogether in front of a giant corridor where the man whipped around and smirked grimly down at her.

If only she wasn't so dazed and tired.

Maybe then, she would've noticed how the shadows crept to and fro in front of his face, linking themselves into a dark looking tattoo that extended past his left eye. She would've noticed how his expression turned dark and wicked and how long strands of light colored hair fluttered in the wind midst the creeping shadows before she felt herself being shoved forward.

Even now she wasn't sure just how she had missed the moment the tattooed man cast the spell.

But like rain she fell forward almost unnaturally; plunging forward towards the shadows that encased the once gravel covered floor.

It was almost like there were hands pulling her down with them.

A scream barely made it past her mouth before the voices started talking. Frantically in hushed tones and reverberating painfully through her head until they all but conjoined together as one.

She remembered screaming and holding her head in pain as the fear in the one man's voice turned distorted into a voice she had grown to understand albeit just barely.

And the raw deranged power that seeped out from the man's voice was anything but _his_

May had never experienced anything more terrifying in her entire life.

"The Grand Magic Games..."

"The earth will crumble, the skies shall burn, and the flames of light shall be extinguished..."

"Once, it was called..."

"... born from the..."

_"Dragon King Festival"_

* * *

Care to leave a review? Or maybe some creative critiscm, yeah?

Thanks for reading


	5. Chapter 5

I don't know what makes me happier- Rogue's guild card or the friendship he has with Sting. Like seriously. 'I'm not scary. Please feel free to start a conversation with me.' /snort/ Wow I can just see Sting and Rogue getting into all kinds of shit just because Sting decides to break character. I love it. It shows that they're not just what their guild forces them to be.

Its adorable. I think I'm going to write a fic about that one day. Maybe.

Also, this fic might be longer than the planned ten-ish chapters I had first promised. May seemed like she had so much potential for actual character development and I decided not to let this chance slip past me.

* * *

Thankfully, her reverie was short-lived when the sound of trickling water pulled her back into reality.

Curious voices walked briskly past her, caught by the wind and whispering into her ears with a mild amount of concern laced into their voices. She knew by the fading footsteps that they, themselves, made no move to help her. And thus, none had come to her aid when she went plunging right into the shallow depths of the fountain when she so groggily tossed to her side.

May was startled wide awake as the feeling of the ice-cold water seeped through her clothes. Letting out a loud muffled sound as she splashed around in a shocked daze, her mind racing with each new subtle observation of her surroundings.

If only she could calm down first and actually be able to use that information.

That simple task would have been made much easier if it wasn't the second time May had woken up at some totally random location she didn't remember coming to.

She didn't even know why the sky was beginning to darken under the faint glow of stars when it was just early afternoon when she

oh.

Quickly, the Lamia Scale mage shot up to her feet. Waddling her way out the fountain with as much of her remaining dignity as she could. The memories surged through her head so fast they could've given the poor girl a headache.

May felt herself paling as she sniffled and tried to ring out her clothes. There was a tugging feeling at the back of her head, like several muffled voices were calling her name - or _a name, _from somewhere behind her. Like a thin wire had attached itself into her spine and gave a light tug every time a word slipped past her.

There were murmurs and horrified gasps and painful tugs and snares.

And there were words so clear that it made her want to hurl.

There was a war, the voices seemed to tell, between dragons that had come to a brutal stop by a man who bathed in the blood of the mighty beasts.

And really, May couldn't even hope to understand it all.

Not with what little she remembered before she blacked out at the Domus Flau.

The Dragon King Festival?

If she heard right, one of the voices belonged to Rogue. But that didn't explain why he sounded so different. it was almost like someone had crawled in through his broken bones and glued him back together again, using his body as a mindless puppet. The way he enunciated his words- how he talked about the crumbling earth and burning sky and dying flames of light, was enough to leave the girl traumatized.

She could practically feel the fear in the other man's voice, his tired determination, stick to her like glue. There was a small part of her that constantly reminded her that this was her choice. She chose to stick to the letter, to stick to _all of this_. Just because having random awkward encounters with the shadow dragon slayer of Sabertooth meant that she was going to be involved in some weird royal conspiracy didn't mean she could just back out at the first sign of danger.

Heck, she had _a letter that came from the _future_ that was sent _just _to keep her from doing other wise._

But thinking back to the older, more mature, more crazed, more _different _words of not-Rogue left a strange new weight in her chest.

And for the large part, just thinking of his words reminded her of acid and poison and destruction.

There was a theory there but May was too filled with fear at the moment to tread it.

A shiver ran through her spine then, bubbling up in her head before rushing off to the rest of her body. _He _wasn't the one the letter wanted Rogue to become, was he? His voice itself was enough to scare her senseless.

Was he the man the world would soon know him as?

How was she supposed to

"May!" The still dripping wet girl whipped around at the shrill screech that called for her attention. A small sneeze escaped her lips and she bowed her head out of habit before a pink frog managed to fly up to her face with the most adorable smile. "May, why are you wet?"

"Hi, Fro" the girl replied meekly. Choosing to ignore the latter question and subconsciously pray that the subject of her current distress wasn't with his partner at that very instant.

Oh, how life loves playing with her.

"May."

She still remembered how he walked out on her earlier, walking away to join his team all the while ignoring her brutal attempts to apologize. She wondered if he was still mad.

She wondered if she should still try to apologize.

"Rogue," his name slipped off her tongue without her meaning to address him. Any words she was planning to say to him completely left her as she looked up at the grim expression he was always famous for.

An expression that seemed to darken each time a small droplet of water dripped down from the edges of her shorts to the dry pavement under their feet.

"I was just about to leave," she said sheepishly when Rogue's eyes found her again. His eyebrow arched inquisitively as she felt a blush beginning to surface.

Man, did this boy scare her sometimes.

Really, she should have known something like this was about to happen given their track record. But operating under a flustered and embarrassed brain was never one of her fortes.

And maybe applying common sense to real life wasn't one either.

May was just about home free when she was yanked back by a strong arm after she attempted to quickly brush past Rogue and Frosch with a fierce urgency.

The action itself was enough to nearly give her a heart attack.

Rogue was looking at her with a strange expression, his crimson eyes furrowed as they darted from her to the small arm he subconsciously grabbed a hold of. His brow was no long curved into a humorous manner- instead it was lost on her as the realization finally bloomed on her that he was injured.

"Stay," was all he said when his grip finally slackened. His eyes shifting from her to Fro and then back to her again so fast that she wouldn't have noticed it had she not heard the gasp of air that left his lips. And the expression that came with it.

It was almost like he didn't even realize he was holding his breath.

And his grip made it seem like he was holding onto something that was slipping past his fingers right then and there.

That was not right.

Not right at all.

May didn't even need the letter to know that something was amiss.

"Rogue?" The words were already tumbling out of her mouth without her even giving it a second thought. With dainty fingers, she traced her way past the bandage decorating his check to the one wrapped around his forehead. Beside them, Fro made a small noise. "Rogue. Are you alright?"

"Rogue is bleeding!" The small flying cat had cried out at the same time. Distress and tears already filled the cat's eyes, screaming and crying as it took out a roll of bandages from inside the frog suit and set about mummifying the poor man. "Rogue is dying! Please don't leave Fro!"

Bewilderment was one of the few things that she let herself be overcome by as she watched the scene. Her eyes darting in pure confusion before something in her finally snapped and gently plucked the roll of bandages from the cat's paws. Shushing crying ball as she took over and freed the man from Fro's panicked bandage attack.

She didn't say anything as he gently shook his head, declining her help as he held Fro in his arms. Whispering softly to the cat with sweet promises until slowly the crying subsided.

It was an incredibly private moment and May felt like she was intruding big time.

But with the glares he constantly sent her way, she knew that slipping away wasn't going to be an option for today.

Not with these circumstances at least.

"May." He whispered a while after Fro fell asleep in his arms. His visible eye peering right back at her with a hint of curiosity and something more.

She could feel her heartstrings being strummed like a harp at the image he presented her with.

"You'll stay, right?" His voice- his voice that was oh so different from the one before, cracked. It was a sound that she hadn't expected to come out from him and when it did, she swore she could feel her heart jump with surprise.

"I've said it before, didn't I?" She said after a little while, not quite looking him in the eyes as she began redoing his bandages despite his earlier decline, "I'm looking out for you too."

A shaky hand reached out for her fingers as they brushed past his cheek, holding it steady as he peered down at her with a surprised look.

For a split guilty second, May contemplated the possibilities of how far she would be able to run and hide her embarrassment as her words slowly started to sink in into the shadow dragon slayer's head.

It was all broken however when a small smile stretched upon his face.

He didn't say anything, just squeezed her fingers and all but smushed Fro against his chest.

But it was in his eyes.

And May felt like she was drowning in them.

"Everyday, any day," she started, amazed with the amount of words she was able to choke out, "if you need anything, just say it. I'll always be on your side so-"

"Thank you, May."

He looked like he was about to cry.

There was a strange look on his face, different from before- almost like he was questioning himself.

And as soon as he wore it, it was off the moment she let out a small sneeze.

They must have looked so weird to each other.

A dripping wet young woman helping a strapping young man rewrap his bandages as he held onto what looked like a giant pink plushie like thing.

The thought was ridiculous enough to keep her from seeing the swirling shadows and twitching darkness all around them as a single yellowed envelope floated adrift midst her wet pockets.

Swimming in wet ink.

She still didn't know what had became of that day as Rogue held on to Fro and listened as she rambled on about her guild.

His eyes filled to the brim with a muted and strained rapture and her words laced with generous amounts of tenderness that did not waver with each shiver.

They were a strange sight and it was no wonder that things began to change after that day.

* * *

Review?


	6. Chapter 6

Soo... I'm back at school. Fun fun. Updates might be a tad bit slower because of this but I'm planning on extending the length of each chapter to make up for it. Hopefully my bio homework and ib assignments don't get in the way too much.

Sorry for the grammar mistakes. I'm way too lazy to triple check and find a beta. I don't have the patience for that kind of stuff either so thanks for baring with me.

* * *

It was almost an unspoken agreement between the two of them that they were going to meet up once again in the morning.

And to say May wasn't excited was like giving a blind person directions using landmarks.

The Lamia Scale mage was beyond ecstatic.

The girl was practically jumping on the balls of her feet as she stripped free of her clammy clothes, sniffing occasionally as she went and searched for a new set of clothes. The entire room was filled with the snores of her slumbering guild mates, even Ooba was tired enough to only let her off with a quiet lecture when she accidentally climbed in through her window.

Oh, it really felt like this day- or night was finally letting up.

She was in the midst of throwing her vest away into the dirty laundry basket when she heard something fall to the floor.

The seconds ticked by like hours as she stared at the offending object with eyes wide as saucers.

May felt like all the air had escaped out her lungs.

Dread had quickly creeped through her system as she stared at the waterlogged and ruined envelope of letters.

She didn't sleep that night.

Not when she was spending the early hours carefully peeling away each yellowed sheet with a sour trepidation the more the ink-stained and soaked each future letter turned out to be.

Not until she had peeled them all away into separate, flimsy wet sheets and reached for the last one.

The one that had escaped it all- unscathed and only a tad bit ripped and browned at the edges.

She didn't sleep that night after she wordlessly- filled with misplaced curiosity and unease, scanned through that last letter.

She remembered the words flying off the dried aged parchment and how they danced around the room until even time slipped past her.

May remembered the feeling of something inescapable envelop her the moment her eyes scanned over the last period. Like an ice cold wash of -

"Hey," a cool voice interrupted her thoughts, jolting her out of her addled daze as the door shut slowly behind her. "You're up early."

It took a long second to realign herself with her thoughts- to get her to stop thinking and to stop panicking and to just _breathe _until she was finally able to open her mouth without hyperventilating.

Rogue was standing before her now; leaning against the doorway with a small yet amused expression. His eyes shone dark but danced on with a small twinkle as she retorted lamely back. Fro was beside him, more sullen than usual and curled up against his shoulder.

For a split second, May shook it off as it being too early for the frog cat's antics.

"Morning, Fro." She found herself waving, cutting off whatever the shadow dragon slayer was saying with a laugh and leaning over to give the cat a small peck on the cheek.

Slowly, the pink frogsuit-clad cat heaved itself up and gave her a sleepy smile. Floating in the air until it fell into her outstretched arms before falling back asleep with a small suspicious sound.

Had it been anyone else, they would've passed it off as something any normal person or Exceed or _whatever_ would do at seven in the morning.

But May knew better.

Because she read that last letter and she-

"Ah, let's go." Rogue looked like he was pouting as he all but grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her down the streets. The action was so random that May found herself going from one mindset to another as she tried to keep up with the shadow dragon slayer's long gait.

Like clockwork, the younger girl soon found herself staring at the taller man's profile. At how his chin was more defined than most other mages she knew, how the natural slit of his eyes seemed to emphasize his dark circles and thus emphasizing his glare, how his façade cracked every now and then as he glanced back at her and Frosch, and how he would smile when he saw that she was still following after him long after he let go of her elbow.

She found herself catching on to the way his voice wavered now and then, how his eyes would drop and how they darted side to side before they crossed the street. His fingers tense by his side and twitching like they were preparing for battle.

Her heart dropped the more she saw the signs and thought back to that single piece of dried parchment.

And the more she thought about the letter, the more she realized she was in deep.

Way too deep.

"We're going to meet up with someone there," May looked up from her musings and watched as Rogue cast her an almost calculative glance at her. If she didn't know better, she would have said he was biting his lip. Fortunately, she wasn't _that _stupid, "is that okay?"

May sputtered.

"Of course it's okay!" She almost wacked Rogue in the eye with her sudden outburst. Slightly jostling Fro awake in the process, "Why wouldn't it be okay? This is like your good luck breakfast before the games."

Rogue had given her the weirdest look by the time those last three words fell through her mouth.

His eyebrows twitched and his mouth was parted in a way that almost outright asked her if she was for real.

If only May was able to move her arms freely, perhaps then she would have crossed her arms and initiate a stare down with the man.

"Besides you're the one who said that you didn't like breakfast at Crocus Gardens," with a wide grin that stretched from ear to ear, she prodded at the man as he awkwardly tried to shuffle away.

Shadows flickered ominously around them as his mood suddenly grew grim.

"I don't," he admitted with a frown and a harsh shove that pushed her small head away from his person with his palm. "Are you sure it's ok?"

If May wasn't a mage then she probably would have choked under the sheer amount of magic power that seemed to seep off his every word; but she didn't notice as she tried to bat his hand away from her face.

She should have but she was too dim to catch the sudden drop in his voice.

Seven years in the future, May was probably cringing at the thought of how oblivious she used to be.

"Rogue! Of course, it's ok!" She continued to say; not caring if her words came out as mumbled nonsense from behind his hand. It soon came to an end however when she took the initiative and quickly scrapped her tongue over his palm.

She gagged and Rogue looked more horrified than the crowd did yesterday when Minerva Orland beat that poor Fairy Tail mage senseless in the giant water bubble.

"May!" He cried out with wide eyes.

"Rogue!" The girl retorted back with the same expression except minus the horrified look.

The poor man looked like he was about to say something when May announced that they've arrived at their new destination.

"May ?" He had asked one last time; fully turning to her and Fro who was slowly waking up in her arms. The emotions were strained and tired but he didn't go on with his question when he saw that she was rolling her eyes at him with a smile.

All he needed was a nod before he pulled open the door.

He watched as she walked into the restaurant and left him with a silent conformity. Rogue wasn't sure just how or what he felt when she turned around and dragged him in with her.

All he knew was that he liked the laugh that sounded in his head.

* * *

In the span of an hour, May found herself in the presence of a crestfallen Sting Eucliffe whose gaze went one of two ways- either at his plate of breakfast waffles or on her form squished between Rogue and the wall.

When the shadow dragon slayer told her that he had invited someone else, she had a sinking suspicion that his partner was the person he was talking about. And while she wasn't the slightest bit surprised at the least; she wasn't exactly ready for this sullen hollow shell of a man who was so unlike the rumors.

Meeting Rogue was one thing; having breakfast with the white dragon slayer and pretending she didn't know why he looked so lost was another.

Ever so often, he would cast a longing look at the pink frogsuit clad cat and sneak a sausage or waffle or berry onto its plate. Frosch never seemed to notice and whether Rogue knew it was Sting was still up to debate as he continuously teased his cat about their 'untouched' plate.

Though it went without saying that Sting obviously didn't notice the darting hand that sneaked sausages and waffles back onto his plate as he tried to sneak them onto the cat's.

It was like a never-ending cycle that lasted for about thirty minutes before Fro finally got a clue and accused Sting of being a snake.

The argument was short and filled with silences where they tried to think up of the right things to say. Like they were reading off mental scripts with weary and worn faces.

It wasn't until Fro tried to pull her into the argument that Sting finally noticed the extra presence at their table.

And thus was the beginning of the awkward exchange of darting looks and clicking forks that went on for the next thirty minutes.

May wasn't even entirely sure how to act around the white dragon slayer to begin with.

On one hand, she wanted to tell him that his cat wasn't entirely all gone and give the poor soul something to look forward to. And on another, she didn't want to come off as insensitive and stalkerish.

She had spent that whole entire night scavenging through runny letters for words that would connect her to this man's true identity.

But runny letters were runny letters.

And all she could make out were just scrambled words and dates that no longer held any significance now that the ink had bled through the pages.

"It's Collins, right?"

For the third time that morning, she felt her heart threaten to jump out of her chest as a voice grabbed at her attention. Her startled blue eyes stared at the once brooding blond in front of her before his words finally started to sink in.

"_Collier_," the correction had become almost like an instinct after a decade of chastising Lyon and Toby on the correct way to pronounce her name. The words practically flew out of her mouth before she had a chance to shoot fully back into reality and give the more somber man her full attention.

It wasn't until May saw the look in his eyes did she realize he was trying to bait her.

Sting had his face in his palms; the gloomy look was still shadowed over his features but his eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity that made her shiver. His mouth was set in a straight line and eyes casting her an almost inquisitive look as if he was examining her. There was without a doubt that he was.

May was almost too caught up with desperately trying not to freak out that she completely missed the fact that Rogue disappeared somewhere with Fro during her musings.

"Rogue mentioned you once," she did the immature thing and perked up at the comment. Her eyes shining like diamonds childishly as she urged the dragon slayer to continue, "said you were a bit dim."

She could've sworn she heard someone snort obnoxiously behind them.

"You're part of Lamia Scale." He said it so definitely and without any underlying tone that May found it hard to find a proper answer to his not-so-question.

"Yes I am,"

"Are you going to participate in the games?"

"No, you people would destroy me."

"Shame."

She was kind of ashamed to admit that her ice tea held more of her attention than her conversation with Sting Eucliffe did at the moment.

May found herself constantly clicking ice cubes against the side of her glass to keep the silence between them filled, staring at her cup with as much fascination as possible as the beverage swished and swirled this way and that.

She was a horrible person, May decided as a lone ice cube tapped against the glass for the seventy-third time. Sting needed someone to depend on as much as Rogue did and here she was upright ignoring him in favor of playing with her food.

The words were just about to leave her mouth when the white dragon slayer decided to finally cut in with a tone that was neither sarcastic or dismissing,

"It's not too late to back out now, you know."

May's head practically snapped up to stare into the serious slitted eyes of the blond Sabertooth mage. She must've been gaping like a fish in disbelief because his blank façade broke just as quickly into a sneer as he nudged his head to his left, eyes leaving hers and staring off into the distance.

And there he was.

May turned her head to see Rogue carrying a whole tray of food from the buffet, scolding Fro as the cat flew around his head in excited circles. Her chest was heaving heavily with each breath as her attention then found itself being drawn to the shadows behind him, dancing menacingly as if they were alive.

May wasn't sure which just one Sting wanted her to notice.

"Listen, if you're another one of those-"

"You guys are going through a rough time, right?" She found herself injecting in, her eyes darting quickly from Rogue to the man in front of her. Watching as his blank and lost expression strained and loosened from a sneer to something entirely different, "I told Rogue that I'd be there for him. And here I am. So-"

"I feel like throwing up," there was a small mock gagging sound and a tipping glass of water before May found herself being sprayed lightly by a nonchalant Sting who was now flicking water at her.

Kicking him from under the table was unintentional.

Throwing grapes at him in retaliation, however, was not.

By the time Rogue returned to the table with three full trays, May was once again dripping wet and Sting was sporting a small bruise on his left knee cap.

Grapes were scattered everywhere around them and the look the shadow dragon slayer gave them almost made the two want to cry.

The dark-haired girl had to bite her lip to keep from smiling as she watched Sting stuff a waffle into his mouth.

Even if he was still stuck in a wordless melancholy, at least he wouldn't be stuck in it with an empty stomach as he forced himself to fight for Lector's sake.

_' - It was like taking a deep breath of fresh air. '_

May didn't realize she would miss the pleasant air between the four of them until long after they left her with a moody Fro.

Didn't realize she would be soon standing midst a battlefield.

* * *

/papastinggiveshisapproval/

One of the symptoms of depression is a loss of appetite and I hope I portrayed that properly through Sting and Rogue since this _was _(spoiler!) prior to Lector's return from bubble space.

This was extremely rushed, and I apologize for that. I hope you guys still choose to read on...

Remember to review because reviews equal motivation and motivation equal quicker updates!


	7. Chapter 7

I keep thinking the freaking title is 'For the Dedicated & Divine'. What is wrong with me ahahha

Fun Fact. I jumped like twenty chapters in the manga while writing this. 'Start as late as possible' I guess a'ight?

There is going to be a short explanation to May's character at the bottom so as to clear up any possible confusion. So stay tuned for that. Or you know... just scroll down. But reading this chapter would be cool too, yes?

* * *

An audible gasp reverberated its way around the crowd, eliciting from the crowd both cheers of glee and discontent. Hands waved this way and that as the whole stadium stirred, and in their ears were the screams of frustrated fans with eyes shining of angry anticipation.

Beside her, Frosch seemed to grow more and more blue as news of Rufus' defeat echoed through and through around them. His white irises staring straight at the lacrima screen as though to stare at the Exceed itself. To the pink frog suit clad cat, it must've felt like one big slap to the face.

May, for all the words she had yet to hear and understand, felt like there was a heavy weight laying on the small cat's shoulders; like an anchor that one couldn't simply carry away. The more the lacrima stayed on the members of Sabertooth, the sadder the cat grew.

And the more the shadows seemed to dance around them.

They were like catalysts to all the grim feelings this last game incited, eating away at every dark feeling that passed through the audience. May watched as they grew like waves, surging through stamping feet and overexcited arms. Watched as they piled together, carrying with it all those collected sinister thoughts and shivered as they materialized and stared at her back.

A fierce red eye formed midst the shadows, cutting through the air with a deathly precision and hitting her with all the magic power a mage of her caliber was able to sustain without collapsing.

There were flashes, small moments that rippled into terrified voices and images that left her shaken. She remembered an older man towering before her in her mind's eye, imposing and threatening with a touch that seeped with the scent of blood and death.

She remembered his words and how their macabre lull left her jittery and in tears instead of calm like the sea after a storm.

May could feel her lungs stop altogether when the shadows thickened all around him, giving the man details she had never noticed before and an image she never thought she wanted to identify his spectral voice with.

She knew who this man was- knew it like she knew her own face. But the more the shadows swam and sunk into him, the more she wished she was wrong.

The more his image started to solidify, the more May felt her heart clench and her stomach stir.

Something was wrong.

Something was going to go terribly wrong.

"I was dumbfounded," May could have sworn she saw the man smirk before she whipped around to see Rogue- the same Rogue she had squirted syrup on just a few hours ago, displayed on the giant lacrima screens. She stared at his worn out form practically screaming how tired beyond repair he was, noticing how the look of withdrawal made his words seem all the more meaningful. Shw watched and stared and listened as her heartbeats quickened with each and every word. "How could you join the guild that had laid waste to your very own..."

"Fro..." and yet she still couldn't help asking, "What... what happened?"

"There had to be something profound," all around her, the audience stared in awe at his words. The past aggression now long gone as they stopped their ravings to hold onto the words that slipped past the usually quiet shadow dragon slayer's lips, "for you to call Fairy Tail your home."

Frosch looked about ready to burst into tears.

"And I slowly began to see," his voice lightened a little bit in tone, a small chuckle bubbling out from his lip as he rubbed his thumb against the side of his pants. An action that May wouldn't have normally caught had she not drenched his hands in syrup earlier. "Friends, right?"

Unknowingly, she mirrored Frosch as his next words rang out throughout the whole arena.

"That is a concept foreign in Sabertooth."

May could feel tears starting to stream down her cheeks.

"We are all simply the master's minions; orders are absolute and victory is the only acceptable result." The small smile he had completely disappeared now, replaced by a more lost and dejected tone that broke all the hearts it reached. "What are guilds? What are friends? For what reasons do I have to fight?"

Her fingers had tingled with each and every question, shaking with each racing heartbeat as she stared and stared and stared. The fabric on her sleeves was threatening to turn red with the way her nails were digging into her skin when the soft rumble-like chuckle broke through her reverie.

It was almost too much for her to handle when she realized that the man was no longer there in the shadows.

"Frosch, Frosch," May started frantically, shaking the cat as Gajeel and Rogue made a heartwarming scene before them. The black haired girl was nowhere close to smiling at the shadow dragon slayer's flustered outburst when she was too busy to worry about the shadows and the darkness and _his future_.

Her heart might as well drummed against her chest with the way the air just narrowly missed her lungs. Her attention was no longer set on the smaller man, instead having caught sight of the twisting shadows behind the two.

Oh god, it's too late. It's too late.

"Frosch, come on! _We need to go to Rogue,_" tears were already streaming down her eyes the more she tried to break the Exceed from its daze. Her voice was shaky and her eyes darted almost in a crazed chase as the cat observed Rogue's sudden confusion.

The letter, if only she still had it. The thought was starting to mock her as she slowly forced her way out from the stands. A sob was already bubbling up in her throat as her friend's aggravated screams echoed out from behind them.

"Who are you?" He croaked, whipping around like a mad man, "where are you?!"

May had to bite her lip to keep from stopping, she wasn't even paying attention to just how hard she had gripped onto the man's partner until his confused screams turned to painful grunts. She had almost tripped over an elevated stone when a loud agonizing wail broke out and rebounded down the halls.

Almost being that she completely lost control over herself and was now being carried by the Exceed.

"May, was that Rogue?" she could hear its chaste voice question in her ear, feel its small paws holding up the back of her shirt as it flew them down hallways and staircases. "What's wrong with Rogue?"

"I don't know Frosch," the girl could barely form words, she wasn't even sure if she was breathing. "We just need to go to Rogue. Frosch, please. Get to Rogue."

And really she had no idea what she was doing either.

She had absolutely no idea just what it was she was supposed to do anymore.

Without the letter, there was nothing to guide her in the right direction. Nothing to show that she was doing the right thing or if what she did _had_ erased that past regret her future self held deep inside.

She felt so helpless without the letter.

What was even the point of her rushing?

"May?"

"Fro, please put me down. I can't-" deep breath, May, deep breath. "... I can't..."

When had the shadows grabbed ahold of her throat? Oh god. Were those hands clawing at her lungs? Was that blood she saw on her fingers? Was Frosch crying?

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.

She could've sworn she heard the sounds of a battle going on in the distance, could have sworn she caught the sound of bones crushing and punches being thrown.

The air was thickening all around them and oh god. Oh god. Oh god.

Was Frosch saying something?

Frosch.

"You need to go to Rogue," she could barely just choke out through her racked breaths. Was that even her voice? "Frosch, please _go._Quickly."

"B-but May..."

"Please?"

She wasn't exactly sure just how long it was since the pink frog suit clad cat finally ran off, wasn't sure just how long she had stared at that ball of pink growing smaller and smaller in her wet eyes.

But oh god did her chest ache.

What was she even trying to do anyways?

_Save_someone? She couldn't even help herself, how was she supposed to save someone else.

Helpless little May- that was what she was, that was what she always was.

She couldn't do anything right, let alone stop the shadows.

Her throat felt like it was ripping itself apart as the world shattered all around her; her scrapped knees and fresh cuts didn't even drive out a painful groan like they always would as her knees hit the gravel.

Instead, all that consumed her was the pure fear and boiled up stress.

And the shadows? The cries? The _pain_?

Oh god.

Oh god.

Oh god.

She felt like the world was sucking her back into its breast, pelting her head with stones and daggers and diamonds as the air tasted like fire down her throat. The sound of distant cheers and fights amplified by the millions as if she shrunk down and was now cowering in a field of titans.

She felt so small.

So _small_.

May wasn't even sure just how long she had stayed there curled up in a ball, just crying and waiting for the earth to swallow her up. Nor was she even sure how Frosch managed to move her without stirring her agony.

Just like the sea came down in waves and swept sand over her toes, she felt warm fingers brushing past her cheek, probing her as if to ask for company and attention.

It all felt like some kind of sick twisted dream when his smooth voice lulled her eyes open to the world.

He soothed her like weak tides as he fiddled with the strands of hair that were glued onto her face. Mumbling words that never made it to her ringing ears as she stared and stared and stared.

She didn't even know the tears had stopped as glassy blues met with curious rubies.

"May," he breathed, sprawled onto his back with freshly broken bones that perfectly matched his bruises. His eyes twinkling with the gentlest look she had ever seen on him yet.

And not even a peek of pain betrayed how he looked at her.

She could feel her breath catching in her throat as she felt his thumb wiping away the last of her tears.

Felt the sticky goo transfer from his sweaty fingers to her red cheeks.

And felt a rush of something- surreal and serene, rush through her system as his lips parted in slow staccato beats.

"May," he whispered once again, but this time there was a wide smile that stretched from ear to ear. His chest was heaving up and down and with each soundless breath, it didn't take long for her to realize in her distraught state that the shadow dragon slayer was _laughing_amongst other things. At her. At _this_.

May didn't even care if his opponent could see the both of them; making a scene like they always managed to do. She didn't even care to check if he was even still there.

The tears had already sprouted and it didn't take long for the sobs to come back as well.

"Rogue," the syllables were hardly audible amidst her wet weeps, "_Rogue_."

He just laughed, and stroked her hair and continued to get as much of the leftover goo on her as possible before she swatted his hand away and just sat there brawling. His eyes glinted with each chuckle that escaped him as he brushed his fingers against her arm reassuringly.

"I'm sorry," she had wept into his fingers, dripping wet tears onto his cheeks. Her fingers shook like giant tremors as she tried and failed to check his wounds, "I… You.. I…"

"I got my ass kicked," was all he could offer before his cheesy smile turned into a painful grimace that only served to make her cry all the more. "I should be the one crying here, you idiot."

A bitter laugh was all she could manage to croak out as she tried to sit him up, shaky and tired and just as drained as he was before all three of them erupted in a bellyaching laughter_. _

Unbeknownst to the trio, a single red eye watched them from the shadows. An ominous frown already in place as he watched the girl grow more and more into the woman of the years that he no longer held interest of in her cries.

"Friends, right?" He tested the words sourly on his tongue before snorting and turning away.

"How pathetic."

* * *

So about May...

'For the Deranged and Divine' is completely written in her POV (majority of it anyways), so what _you- _the reader might know _she _doesn't know. May is constantly learning new things about Rogue and Sting and Frosch and Lector and going by what she remembers from the letters that it's fair to say she doesn't pay enough attention to real life. So I guess since this is in May's POV, and with the way I've written it, I guess you can say that the main characters have to go through some more character development _that is actually caught while she's paying attention _to actually have an effect on how she sees them_. _Not the best way of doing things- I know, but whatever. It's also stated earlier that she isn't that good at reading people's faces (or at least I think I wrote that in somewhere), hence she _misunderstands _people quite a lot. Also, as someone once asked me- yes, **May does have anxiety attacks**. Just what or why exactly she's so anxious about everything- I won't say because it won't make sense if I reveal it now. So really, you have to be patient with me about that. All in all, I guess _this whole thing _would be the _worst _possible position to put her in LOL.

A picture of how she looks like would be uploaded onto my deviantart whenever I have the time to actually draw one, so I'm not going to describe her outfits or whatever right now.

I'm sorry if May seems like a huge Mary Sue to you with how she's always crying, I promise you that she's more than just that. And really, it's all within reason. But I swear, if you ever see anyone break down from stress or anxiety or just about _anything _and you tell them to just suck it up, I am going to pee on everything you love because that's just messed up.

But I know my followers aren't like that; you're all sweet little angels who may or may not have messed up kinks. Whatever floats your boat. I love you guys anyways.

I hoped this chapter was alright, reviews make me happy!


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